National Government (1931–1935)

The National Government of 1931–1935 was formed by Ramsay MacDonald following his reappointment as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom by King George V after the general election in October 1931.

National Government

2nd National Government of the United Kingdom
1931–1935
Ramsay MacDonald
Date formed27 October 1931 (1931-10-27)
Date dissolved7 June 1935 (1935-06-07)
People and organisations
MonarchGeorge V
Prime MinisterRamsay MacDonald
Prime Minister's history1929–1935
Deputy Prime MinisterStanley Baldwin[note 1]
Total no. of members107 appointments
Member parties
Status in legislatureSupermajority (coalition)
554 / 615 (90%)



Opposition partyLabour Party
Opposition leaders
History
Election1931 general election
Legislature terms36th UK Parliament
PredecessorFirst National Government
SuccessorThird National Government

As a National Government it contained members of the Conservative Party, Liberals, Liberal Nationals and National Labour, as well as a number of individuals who belonged to no political party. The Liberal Nationals had previously not held office in MacDonald's previous National Government, though two junior ministers appointed as Liberals had defected to them. Their relationship with the main Liberal Party had been unclear but following the election, the Liberal Nationals officially repudiated the official Liberal Party whip.

During the course of the Ministry the ministers from the Liberal Party, led by Sir Herbert Samuel, resigned over the adoption of a protectionist policy caused by the government negotiating the Ottawa Accords in 1932. The other Liberal faction in the Ministry, the Liberal National Party, had accepted the Conservative policy of protectionism before the National government had been formed so its ministers continued in office.

In June 1935, MacDonald resigned and was replaced as Prime Minister by Stanley Baldwin.

Cabinet

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Ramsay MacDonald was the serving prime minister since 1929

November 1931 – May 1935

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Changes

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  • June 1932 –   Lord Irwin succeeds Donald Maclean (deceased) as President of the Board of Education
  • September 1932 – Stanley Baldwin succeeds Philip Snowden as Lord Privy Seal, remaining also Lord President. John Gilmour succeeds Herbert Samuel as Home Secretary.   Sir Godfrey Collins succeeds Sir Archibald Sinclair as Scottish Secretary.   Walter Elliot succeeds Gilmour as Minister of Agriculture.
  • December 1933 – Stanley Baldwin ceases to be Lord Privy Seal, and his successor in that office is not in the cabinet. He continues as Lord President.   Kingsley Wood enters the cabinet as Postmaster-General
  • June 1934 –   Oliver Stanley succeeds Henry Betterton as Minister of Labour

List of ministers

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Members of the Cabinet are in bold face.

OfficeNamePartyDatesNotes
Prime Minister,
First Lord of the Treasury
and Leader of the House of Commons
Ramsay MacDonaldNational Labour5 November 1931 – 7 June 1935
Lord ChancellorJohn Sankey, 1st Baron SankeyNational LabourNovember 1931created Viscount Sankey 30 January 1932
Lord President of the CouncilStanley BaldwinConservativeNovember 1931
Lord Privy SealPhilip SnowdenNational Labour5 November 1931created Viscount Snowden 24 November 1931
Stanley BaldwinConservative29 September 1932
Anthony EdenConservative31 December 1933
Chancellor of the ExchequerNeville ChamberlainConservative5 November 1931
Parliamentary Secretary to the TreasuryDavid MargessonConservative10 November 1931
Financial Secretary to the TreasuryWalter ElliotConservativeNovember 1931
Leslie Hore-BelishaLiberal National29 September 1932
Duff CooperConservative29 June 1934
Lords of the TreasuryWalter WomersleyConservative12 November 1931 – 7 June 1935knighted 1934
Victor WarrenderConservative12 November 1931 – 30 September 1932
Geoffrey ShakespeareLiberal National12 November 1931 – 30 September 1932
Austin HudsonConservative12 November 1931 – 12 April 1935
Lambert WardConservative12 November 1931 – 1 May 1935
George DaviesConservative11 October 1932 – 7 June 1935
James BlindellLiberal National30 September 1932 – 7 June 1935
James StuartConservative1 May 1935 – 7 June 1935
Archibald SouthbyConservative23 April 1935 – 7 June 1935
Secretary of State for Foreign AffairsRufus Isaacs, 1st Marquess of ReadingLiberal24 August 1931 – 5 November 1931
John SimonLiberal National5 November 1931
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign AffairsAnthony EdenConservativeNovember 1931
James StanhopeConservative18 January 1934
Secretary of State for the Home DepartmentHerbert SamuelLiberalNovember 1931
John GilmourConservative28 September 1932
Under-Secretary of State for the Home DepartmentOliver StanleyConservativeNovember 1931
Douglas HackingConservative22 February 1933
Harry CrookshankConservative29 June 1934
First Lord of the AdmiraltyBolton Eyres-MonsellConservative5 November 1931
Parliamentary and Financial Secretary to the AdmiraltyEdward StanleyConservative10 November 1931
Civil Lord of the AdmiraltyEuan WallaceConservative10 November 1931
Minister of Agriculture and FisheriesJohn GilmourConservativeNovember 1931
Walter ElliotConservative28 September 1932
Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture and FisheriesHerbrand Sackville, 9th Earl De La WarrNational Labour10 November 1931
Secretary of State for AirCharles Vane-Tempest-Stewart, 7th Marquess of LondonderryConservative5 November 1931
Under-Secretary of State for AirPhilip SassoonConservativeNovember 1931
Secretary of State for the ColoniesPhilip Cunliffe-ListerConservative5 November 1931
Under-Secretary of State for the ColoniesRobert William HamiltonLiberalNovember 1931
Ivor Windsor-Clive, 2nd Earl of PlymouthConservative29 September 1932
Secretary of State for Dominion AffairsJimmy ThomasNational LabourNovember 1931
Under-Secretary of State for Dominion AffairsMalcolm MacDonaldNational LabourNovember 1931
President of the Board of EducationDonald MacleanLiberalNovember 1931
Edward Wood, 1st Baron IrwinConservative15 June 1932succeeded as 3rd Viscount Halifax 19 January 1934
Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of EducationHerwald RamsbothamConservative10 November 1931
Minister of HealthHilton YoungConservative5 November 1931
Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of HealthErnest BrownLiberal National10 November 1931
Geoffrey ShakespeareLiberal National30 September 1932
Secretary of State for IndiaSamuel HoareConservativeNovember 1931
Under-Secretary of State for IndiaPhilip Kerr, 11th Marquess of LothianLiberal10 November 1931
Rab ButlerConservative29 September 1932 
Minister of LabourHenry BettertonConservativeNovember 1931
Oliver StanleyConservative29 June 1934
Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of LabourRobert HudsonConservative10 November 1931
Chancellor of the Duchy of LancasterJ. C. C. DavidsonConservative10 November 1931
Paymaster GeneralErnest Lamb, 1st Baron RochesterNational Labour23 November 1931
Minister for PensionsGeorge TryonConservativeNovember 1931
Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of PensionsCuthbert HeadlamConservative10 November 1931Office vacant from 29 September 1932
Postmaster-GeneralKingsley WoodConservative10 November 1931Office in Cabinet from 20 December 1933
Assistant Postmaster-GeneralGraham WhiteLiberalNovember 1931
Ernest Nathaniel BennettNational Labour21 October 1932
Secretary of State for ScotlandArchie SinclairLiberalNovember 1931
Godfrey CollinsLiberal National28 September 1932
Under-Secretary of State for ScotlandNoel SkeltonConservativeNovember 1931
President of the Board of TradeWalter RuncimanLiberal National5 November 1931
Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of TradeLeslie Hore-BelishaLiberal National10 November 1931
Leslie BurginLiberal National29 September 1932
Secretary for Overseas TradeJohn ColvilleConservative10 November 1931
Secretary for MinesIsaac FootLiberalNovember 1931
Ernest BrownLiberal National30 September 1932
Minister of TransportJames PybusLiberal NationalNovember 1931
Oliver StanleyConservative22 February 1933
Leslie Hore-BelishaLiberal National29 June 1934
Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of TransportIvor Windsor-Clive, 2nd Earl of PlymouthConservative25 November 1931
Cuthbert HeadlamConservative29 September 1932Office vacant 5 July 1934
Secretary of State for War
and Leader of the House of Lords
Douglas Hogg, 1st Viscount HailshamConservative5 November 1931
Under-Secretary of State for WarJames Stanhope, 7th Earl StanhopeConservative10 November 1931
Donald Howard, 3rd Baron Strathcona and Mount RoyalConservative24 January 1934
Financial Secretary to the War OfficeDuff CooperConservativeNovember 1931
Douglas HackingConservative29 June 1934
First Commissioner of WorksWilliam Ormsby-GoreConservative5 November 1931
Attorney GeneralWilliam JowittNational LabourNovember 1931
Thomas InskipConservative26 January 1932
Solicitor GeneralThomas InskipConservativeNovember 1931
Boyd MerrimanConservative26 January 1932
Donald SomervellConservative29 September 1933
Lord AdvocateCraigie AitchisonNational LabourNovember 1931
Wilfrid NormandConservative2 October 1933
Douglas JamiesonConservative28 March 1935
Solicitor General for ScotlandWilfrid NormandConservative10 November 1931
Douglas JamiesonConservative2 October 1933
Thomas CooperConservative15 May 1935
Treasurer of the HouseholdFrederick ThomsonConservative12 November 1931
George PennyConservative1 May 1935
Comptroller of the HouseholdWalter ReaLiberal12 November 1931
George PennyConservative30 September 1932
Victor WarrenderConservative1 May 1935
Vice-Chamberlain of the HouseholdGeorge PennyConservative12 November 1931
Victor WarrenderConservative30 September 1932
Lambert WardConservative1 May 1935
Captain of the Gentlemen-at-ArmsGeorge Bingham, 5th Earl of LucanConservative12 November 1931
Captain of the Yeomen of the GuardDonald Howard, 3rd Baron Strathcona and Mount RoyalConservative12 November 1931
Lords in WaitingArthur Chichester, 4th Baron TemplemoreConservative12 November 1931 – 24 January 1934
Henry Gage, 6th Viscount GageConservative12 November 1931 – 7 June 1935
Wentworth Beaumont, 2nd Viscount AllendaleLiberal12 November 1931 – 28 September 1932
Geoffrey FitzClarence, 5th Earl of MunsterConservative24 January 1934 – 7 June 1935
Charles Duncombe, 3rd Earl of FevershamConservative24 January 1934 – 7 June 1935

Notes

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  1. ^ According to Eccleshall & Walker (2002:273) and Stanton (2000:26), Baldwin was the effective deputy prime minister in the Conservative-dominated Cabinet. He served as Lord President of the Council.

References

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  1. ^ "Resignation letter by Liberal ministers to Ramsay MacDonald". Letter to Ramsay MacDonald. Samuel papers. 28 September 1932. SAM/A/89/84.{{cite press release}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  • Bassett, Reginald. 1931 Political Crisis (2nd ed., Aldershot: Macmillan 1986) ISBN 0-566-05138-9
  • Butler, David, and G. Butler, Twentieth Century British Political Facts 1900–2000
  • Eccleshall; Walker, Robert, eds. (June 2002). Biographical Dictionary of British Prime Ministers. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-134-66231-9.
  • Hattersley, Roy. Borrowed Time: The Story of Britain Between the Wars (2008) pp 143–72.
  • Howell, David. MacDonald's Party: Labour Identities and Crisis, 1922–1931 (Oxford U.P. 2002). ISBN 0-19-820304-7
  • Hyde, H. Montgomery. Baldwin: The Unexpected Prime Minister (1973)
  • Jenkins, Roy. Baldwin (1987) excerpt and text search
  • Marquand, David. Ramsay MacDonald (1977)
  • Mowat, Charles Loch. Britain between the Wars: 1918–1945 (1955) pp. 413–79
  • Raymond, John, ed. The Baldwin Age (1960), essays by scholars 252 pages; online
  • Skidelsky, Robert. Politicians and the Slump: the Labour Government of 1929–1931. (1967.)
  • Smart, Nick. The National Government. 1931–40 (Macmillan 1999) ISBN 0-333-69131-8
  • Stanton, Philip (2000). Britain 1905–1951. Nelson Thornes. ISBN 978-0-7487-4517-3.
  • Taylor, A.J.P. English History 1914–1945 (1965) pp 321–88
  • Thorpe, Andrew. The British general election of 1931 (Oxford UP, 1991).
  • Thorpe, Andrew. Britain in the 1930s. The Deceptive Decade, (Oxford: Blackwell, 1992). ISBN 0-631-17411-7
  • Williamson, Philip. National Crisis and National Government. British Politics, the Economy and the Empire, 1926–1932, (Cambridge UP, 1992). ISBN 0-521-36137-0
Preceded by Government of the United Kingdom
1931–1935
Succeeded by